Director of Institutional Giving

School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center; New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full health benefits

4 weeks vacation + 2 holiday weeks

Generous retirement savings benefits

Job summary

School of American Ballet (SAB) at Lincoln Center seeks a Director of Institutional Giving to lead a robust fundraising program supporting the school’s mission to train professional dancers. You will oversee foundations, government and corporate giving, while coordinating with the development team and volunteers.

The role requires 5+ years in institutional giving, excellent communication and budgeting skills, and a readiness to engage boards and partners in strategic campaigns.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of demonstrated success in institutional giving and knowledge of New York area funders.
• Excellent written and oral communication; budgeting and data analysis skills; ability to manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Expand the institutional giving program to raise over $1.5M annually and support capital/endowment efforts.
• Build and manage relationships with 40+ foundations, corporate and government donors.
• Prepare persuasive proposals and reports with budgets for student life programs and scholarships.
• Oversee donor communication, acknowledgments, invites, newsletters, and events.
• Engage Board and senior leadership in fundraising; partner on capital campaigns.
• Mentor and supervise Institutional Giving staff; manage donor records and expense budget.

Skills

Institutional giving

Donor relations

Budgeting

Data analysis

Communication

Event coordination

Tools

Raiser’s Edge

Job description

Organization Overview

The School of American Ballet (SAB) at Lincoln Center, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, is the preeminent ballet school in the country. Our mission is to train professional dancers for careers in classical ballet. We provide the resources for a diverse pool of students to train at the highest level – with 15-25 a year going on to dance for New York City Ballet, our official but independent ballet company, and other major ballet companies worldwide. SAB has a far-reaching impact on the art form and enriches the lives of each student who comes through its doors, over 800 annually, ages 6 to 18. SAB has approximately 90 part- and full-time employees and an operating budget of $17 million. In the 2025-2026 school year, administrative employees are expected to work in person 4 days per week and may telecommute one dayper workweek.

Position Overview

The School of American Ballet (SAB) seeks a Director of Institutional Giving to lead and expand its robust institutional giving program,comprisedof foundation, government, and corporate foundation giving components. As a member of theSchool’sdevelopment staff, the Director of Institutional Giving willbe responsible forraising over $1.5 million annually, plusadditionalcapital and endowment fundraising as needed. This position leads and grows the School's institutional fundraising andis a leader and resource for department-wide staff and volunteers. The Director of Institutional Giving directly supervises and mentorsonestaff member.This is a full-time, exempt position reporting to the Chief Development and Marketing Officer.

Key Responsibilities

Institutional Giving

• Manage and expand theSchool’sinstitutional giving strategy to secure more than $1.5 million, with gifts ranging from $1,000 to $250,000+.
• Build and manage relationships with 40+ foundations, corporate, and government donors to ensure strong engagement with SAB and steward lasting support.
• Identifyand strategically cultivate institutional prospects; implement tailored engagement strategies;solicitand secure gifts personally and as part of a team; and steward donors tomaintainand strengthen long-term relationships.
• Work closely with SAB-wide staff to conceive of andsubmitpersuasive, well-written, and applicableproposalsand reports, with accompanying budgets and support materials, on behalf of student life programming, the scholarship fund, and other priority initiatives.
• Oversee a comprehensive donor communication strategy, ensuringtimelyand high-quality engagement through acknowledgement letters, written correspondence, invitations, mailings, visits, calls, newsletters, and e-blasts.
• Develop strong relationships with Board members and coworkers; engage the Board’s Development Committee in cultivating and stewarding institutional donors; and serve as a resource to the Board and senior leadership team in their fundraising efforts.
• Guideprospectsolicitation and donor stewardship efforts by the Executive Director and Board through the preparation of research, talking points, email drafts, and meeting briefings.
• Partner on the planning, execution, and fundraising for future capital and endowment campaigns.

Supervision

• Mentor, train, and supervise staff in Institutional Giving to ensure that departmental goals and needs arebeing met, and that staff are continuallydeveloping intheir roles.
• Oversee the work conducted on behalf of Institutional Giving by department staff and volunteers.
• Supervise the maintenance of tracking systems, Institutional Giving mailing lists, and electronic and physical donor records.
• Manage Institutional Giving’s expense budget.

Qualifications

• 5+ years ofdemonstratedsuccess in institutional giving; knowledge of New York area funders.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; fluency in budgeting and data analysis; ability to manage time and projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Proventrack recordof securing institutional gifts at the $100,000+ level.
• Polished and professional demeanor, with the ability to speak on behalf of theSchoolat events.
• Proficiencyin Raiser’s Edge or a similar donor database.
• Tasks might include some lifting, including heavy items that requireuseof carts.
• Evening and weekend hoursrequiredfor donor events.

SAB offers a superior benefit package, including full health benefits, four weeks of vacation (plus two holiday weeks in December), and generous retirement savings benefits.

The School of American Ballet is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

The annual salary range is $100,000-$112,000.